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Mailing List ~ Newsletter>
Copal Incense "Pom"
November 1, 2003
COPAL INCENSE
Copal incense, known to the Mayan Indians as "pom" has been
in use for more than 1000 years in Guatemala. All
ceremonies, religious or otherwise incorporate the burning
of pom. Medicine men (or shamans) often use pom to cure
various illnesses, and to protect against sorcery, sickness
and misfortune.
Pom has a most unique aroma. It is very unlike common
incense. Even those who dislike ordinary incense seem
mysteriously drawn to pom's aromatic allure. Pom is made
from copal, a tree resin found in the highland areas of
Central America and Mexico. By mixing the resin with chips
of bark and wood a consistent mixture is produced. Small
disks (or wafers) are then formed by hand. These disks are
neatly stacked inside banana leaves or corn husks and sold
in markets all over Guatemala.
An interesting bit of folklore is the belief that when pom
burns, the smoke of the incense transforms into tortillas,
which the god's consume.
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